saisi

Saisi is the masculine singular past participle of the French verb saisir, meaning to seize, grasp, or take hold of. It is also used as an adjective meaning taken or seized. The feminine singular form is saisie, and the plural forms are saisis (masc) and saisies (fem).

In verb constructions, saisi can function as part of compound tenses with the auxiliary avoir or as a participle. For example: Il a saisi l'opportunité (He seized the opportunity). When a preceding direct object requires agreement, the participle follows regular gender and number changes: Les opportunités qu'il a saisies (the opportunities that he seized). In many contexts, saisi also appears in a passive-like sense using être in compound tenses: Le dossier a été saisi par le tribunal (The file was seized by the court).

Saisi is common in legal and administrative language. A bien saisi refers to property or assets that have been seized by authorities, such as during a confiscation or seizure proceeding. The noun for the act of seizing is la saisie, and related terms include saisir (to seize) and saisi (seized, taken).

Beyond legal or formal uses, saisi can describe emotional or cognitive capture: être saisi de surprise or siai d'émotion (to be seized by surprise or emotion). In these idiomatic expressions, the meaning shifts from physical taking to a figurative engagement or overwhelm.